Sales have fallen but long live the book

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Years ago I worked as a reader for publishing houses. For £26.40 a time (my
memory for that figure is exact) I slogged through what is still
ungraciously known as the slush pile. Not all publishers now have one — not
everyone accepts “unsolicited submissions” any more.

No, I’m not about to reveal that I either discovered or dismissed some massive
bestseller — it’s rather that I find myself wondering whether those paid
readers are still out there.

Publishers, after all, have a new slush pile — the internet. After Amanda
Hocking and E. L. James the latest online literary success story is